Heart pain or chest pain is definitely a discomforting condition for many. While in very cases, the pain may be a precursor to an impending heart attack, there may some other reason behind the pain.

According to statistics, about one-fifth to two-fifths of the global population are affected with chest pain. Of this number, about 8 million are Americans.

Although chest pain can be treated using conventional medicine, knowledge of some home remedies can help in emergency situations before the arrival of a health professional.

In this article, you will get to know about some natural home remedies which can be used in treating heart or chest pain.

What is Angina, chest pain?

Chest pain, or angina, is a condition that causes discomfort around the chest region. This condition which is marked by a feeling of tightened chest muscles is caused by an insufficient supply of oxygenated blood to the heart.

Angina can also result in pains around the shoulders, arms, and neck. Angina, or chest pain, is not a disease per se, but a symptom of some other health condition, usually heart disease.

Causes of chest/heart pain

We have already mentioned that chest pain is primarily a symptom of a heart problem; however, there are several other probable causes of the condition. The causes of chest pain are grouped according to the following: digestive causes, respiratory causes, muscles and bone causes, heart-related causes, and others.

NOTE: Seek professional medical help if you notice that the chest pain seems unusual, or if you?ve never had such before. This is because the pain can be a sign of an impending heart attack.

Symptoms of chest/heart pain

The most common symptom of chest pain is a persistent burning sensation around the chest. Sometimes this condition can be wrongly thought to be a heart attack.

Other symptoms of chest pain are:

Dizziness

Nausea

Vomiting

Shortness of breath

Cold sweat

Fatigue

Natural remedies for heart and chest pain

If you have met with your doctor and he has done some tests to show that your chest pain is nothing serious, then you can go on to try any of the natural remedies listed below at home.

The following are home remedies for bringing fast relief for chest pain:

Apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is known to be beneficial to digestive health. Thus, digestive causes of chest pain such as GERD and peptic ulcer can be prevented by using apple cider vinegar. To reduce pain around the chest area, simply drink two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar.

Pomegranate juice

Pomegranate juice is yet another natural remedy for chest pain. The effect of pomegranate juice on chest pain is due to the fact that pomegranate is packed with powerful antioxidants that are helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol levels, as well as in reducing the accumulation of plaque in the arteries.

Use a cold pack

We already stated that muscle strain can be the cause of chest pain. In addition, other muscle and bone causes like costochondritis have also been linked to chest pain. Using a cold pack on the affected region can help to relieve the pain.

Basil

Basil contains several minerals such as magnesium, which is important for heart health. In addition, vitamin A present in basil helps to prevent the accumulation of bad cholesterol in the body, which can lead to atherosclerosis. Chomping on some fresh basil leaves or gulping down a cup of basil tea when you have chest pain can alleviate the problem. Even better, you can prevent chest pain by drinking a mixture of honey and fresh basil juice first thing every morning.

Vitamin C

Fruits rich in vitamin C such as oranges and other citrus fruits can help in combating chest pain. Vitamin C, among other functions, helps to control the cholesterol levels in the body, which can affect cardiovascular health when left uncontrolled.

Garlic

While there is limited research on the use of garlic in combating chest pain, anecdotal reports suggest that the herb can help in reducing some heart-related causes of angina (chest pain). Eating raw garlic or drinking a mixture of chopped garlic with warm milk can help in relieving some chest pain symptoms.

Ginger

Ginger contains gingerol, which is its main compound. The use of ginger in the treatment of chest pain is due to its anti-inflammatory and relaxing properties. Various studies have shown that ginger can be helpful in protecting the heart by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Apart from this, ginger can help to prevent arteriosclerosis because of its blood-thinning capabilities. It is worthy to note, however, that persons on blood-thinning medications are to avoid the use of ginger to prevent unnecessary bleeding.

Turmeric

Turmeric is a kitchen spice with powerful medicinal properties, thanks to the presence of myriad antioxidants. Curcumin, which is the main antioxidant found in turmeric, is the source of the spice?s many medicinal properties. For instance, the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric are because of curcumin, and are helpful in reducing the symptoms of chest pain. Drinking a mixture of warm milk and a teaspoon of turmeric powder before going to sleep has been proven to help in the treatment of chest pain.

Alfalfa Herb

Alfalfa is a herbal plant that can help in reducing some symptoms of chest pain. The herb helps in preventing cholesterol and plaque buildup in the body, which might lead to chest pain. Drinking alfalfa tea after steeping and filtering is a natural way of treating chest pain.

Drink plenty of water

Angina can be caused by high blood pressure due to high sodium levels in the body. To regulate the amount of sodium in the body, drinking enough water is a good option. Since dehydration can worsen the symptoms of the chest pain, staying hydrated is a great remedy. Therefore, it is recommended that adults consume at least two liters of water in a day to prevent dehydration.

Drink hot drinks

Your chest pain may be as a result of flatulence. In order to reduce the excessive gas, drinking a hot drink is a good idea. Hot drinks such as green tea or hot hibiscus tea can help to suppress digestive causes of chest pain.

Baking soda

Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is another common kitchen ingredient that can be used in treating chest pain. Since baking soda is an alkali (antacid), dissolving it in water and drinking will help to reduce chest pain due to acid reflux. This is because the resulting alkaline solution will neutralize much of the stomach acid.

Cayenne pepper

Capsaicin, which is the major ingredient of cayenne pepper, has been found to have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. This hot pepper can help in reducing the pain associated with angina. For this purpose, all you need to do is to drink one glass of milk mixed with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is another herb that can benefit people suffering from chest pain. This is because the herb contains many antioxidants that help in promoting heart health. Thus, heart-related causes of chest pain are put in check. Drinking fenugreek tea after straining is an easy method of relieving and preventing chest pain. You can prepare the fenugreek tea by adding a teaspoon of the seeds to a cup of boiled water.

Almonds

Chewing some almonds when you have heart pain can help to relieve the pain, especially when the pain is due to acid reflux. Alternatively, you can also try drinking almond milk. Whichever method you choose, almonds will help with the chest pain. It is important to note, however, that almonds have a high fat content and can worsen the pain.

Rest

Lying down when you have heart pain can help to ease the problem, especially when the heart pain is caused by acid reflux. Ensure that you are resting in a slightly upright position to keep the stomach acid at bay.

Avoid arduous tasks that may aggravate the pain

It is needless to say that, engaging in strenuous activities such as lifting ?very? heavy objects can cause chest pain or worsen the condition. So instead of doing such tasks yourself, get someone to help you out.

Be a vegan

To cure yourself of the chest pain, stay on a vegetarian diet, at least while the symptoms persist. Vegetables such as leafy spinach and broccoli are highly nutritious and low in calories and cholesterol which are harmful to overall health. Choosing to eat only vegetables when suffering from heart pain will not only alleviate the problem, but will also benefit the entire body.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Foods such as wild-caught salmon and mackerel are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats help to combat the heart-related causes and symptoms of the chest pain. You can also include fish oil supplements if you are not getting enough omega-3 foods.

There are many reasons why chest pain may occur including poor lifestyle habits such as binging on alcohol or poor dieting, or maybe as a symptom of some other serious health condition like atherosclerosis.

Understanding this and taking precautionary measures will help in preventing the chest pain.? However, trying any of the above-listed natural methods can help to reduce the symptoms of the chest pain when you are suffering from it.

Although the aforementioned natural home remedies can help in reducing most of the symptoms of chest or heart pain, you should seek professional medical help when the condition becomes recurrent.